Vision Statement for Indian Cricket

In the light of recent events, the issue of corruption is being taken up as a section in itself - and the mission statement the Board makes in this regard is very simple: Like Caesar's wife, the board not only expects every cricketer in the country to be clean, but he should be seen to be clean.

It would be easy to write, and get the contracted players to sign, a code which says that players shall not consort with bookmakers, that players shall report all approaches made to them by bookmakers and punters, etc. Signing such a code means nothing - the Indian Penal Code mandates that no citizen shall steal, rape, kill, riot, et al - and yet, regularly, robberies, rapes, murders, and every other conceivable crime, take place with alarming frequency.

Codes are not worth the paper they are signed on.

Therefore, the board proposes a rather different solution. At the time of his selection to a state team, each player will, before playing his first game at that level, declare officially, to the board, his assets and those of his family at that point in time. This declaration will have to be comprehensive, all-encompassing.

For every succeeding year, the player will submit copies of his income tax statements to the board, for scrutiny by the board's own professional auditors.

The board will reserve the right to request the various government agencies to run spot checks on all players, from the state level up, at any time, without any warning.

Any player found in possession of monies or assets that have not been officially declared will be immediately dismissed, and banned for life.

Any player known to have indulged in betting, to have had contact with bookmakers and punters, will be immediately banned, for life.

All players from the state level on up will be required to keep on file with the board all telephone numbers - land line or mobile - that they own and operate. The BCCI reserves the right to tap, through proper judicial process, these phones at any time for spot checks, and to scrutinise the call records of these phones. Any player found with phones, either landline or mobile, that have not been duly declared to the board will be banned for three years. Any player found to have had contact with bookmakers, punters, betting institutions and the like will be immediately banned, for life.

The board will institute a conduct committee comprising of ex-national players of undisputed stature and probity. The committee will periodically review the players from the state level on up. Any player found to have brought disrepute to the game and to the country, by any means whatsoever, will be immediately banned.

The board guarantees to look after each player through the natural course of his playing life. On retirement, the board will immediately organise a benefit match, or an adopted version of the 'testimonial year' concept, for that player, to ensure that he lives in comfort during his retirement. In return, the board asks complete honesty of its players - and will accept nothing less.

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